All you need to know about Kicking Horse, Panorama and Revelstoke can be summed up in four words: continuously skiable vertical drop.

When laying a cross-country ski track becomes, temporarily, next to impossible because of the constant fluffy snow, you know you have winter sports Nirvana.

In January, this is what you found at Panorama Mountain Village: Powder. LOTS of powder.

Blue sky. LOTS of blue sky.

And while snow followed by bright skies may be a consistent theme at this British Columbia resort about three hours from Calgary in the Columbia Valley, time spent there doesn’t look a lot like your grandpop’s — or even your mom’s — memories.

Make no mistake: this area, including right around the 1,152 hectares of skiable terrain on the hill, has been a second home for Calgarians, and other Albertans, for several generations.

“We are to Calgary what Muskoka is to Toronto,” says Steve Paccagnan, President and CEO of Panorama Mountain Village, which includes the expansive ski hill, 20 kilometres of cross country trails around the nordic centre, the Greywolf golf course, slopeside pools, and ski-to-door lodging/restaurants along with residential neighbourhoods.

But he says it may be time for a lot of Albertans to “rediscover” Panorama because so much has changed in such a short time.

In fact, since a new ownership group four years ago took over the resort, just 25 minutes up the road from Invermere, B.C., a much more family focus is making it a place to just park the car and never leave for your whole visit.

The investment group, which includes homeowners from Alberta, Ontario and the United Kingdom, is also spending money — about $7 million of it on everything from a new guest lodge to a new clubhouse for Greywolf — to ensure everyone from expert skiers or boarders to those just beginning snow sports, have something to enjoy at the four-season resort.

Let’s start with the experts. For years, the 300 hectares of “backcountry-style terrain” in the Taynton Bowl was only accessed by helicopter. This season, Panorama, one of the highest mountains in North America with its 1,220 metres vertical from the top, opened the bowl with access from the Summit Quad Chair.

Full of chutes, bowls, and glades, Taynton is a steep-and-sometimes-deep, double-black paradise that expert skiers will love. On a January weekend, it was waist deep in new snow and, consequently, more forgiving than after a thorough packing.

Be aware, though, it’s meant to challenge the truly accomplished skier and the merely advanced need not apply.

But fear not, family skiers and gung-ho weekend warriors; there is lots on the mountain for you. The lower and mid-mountain lifts offer dozens of green, blue and single-black runs to entertain every taste, while the front face of the summit begins the black and double-black challenge that’s completed by the Taynton Bowl.

For novice to intermediate skiers, the news will get even better next ski season.

Panorama will be adding a quad chairlift — its sixth lift — to be ready for the first day of the 2014/2015 ski season. Construction begins this April and the new quad will have capacity for 1,500 people per hour up the hill.

It will take beginner to intermediate skiers from the base of the mountain to wide and gentle trails like Ski Tip Way and Stringer. Homeowners in Trappers Ridge, Panorama’s newest residential neighborhood (second phase multi-family construction starts this summer) will also get increased ski-in/ski-out options with the new lift.

Paccagnan says Panorama, at “50 years young,” continues to adapt to the winter market. It has added a snow tube park, night skiing on the Mile 1 quad, extensive family programming including a large groomed beginners area with a 135-metre carpet lift to get novices up the learner slope with effortless ease.

Part of the newest quad expansion will also include a new learning centre targeted at young skiers with another conveyor carpet that will bring access even closer to the Panorama village.

“As a parent, I know it’s important to get kids to, conveniently, experience skiing instead of having a trail of tears from the mini-van to the slope. The carpet is designed to help with that.”

He says it will also feature foam toys to engage kids as they ease into the comfort of being on a hill and on skis.

And, if you’re looking for even more adventure than Taynton Bowl provides you can always hop in a helicopter at Panorama, for a trip to one of the 120 landing spots RK Heliski has in the Purcells (the mountain chain that includes Panorama).

Rod Gibbons, operations manager of RK and a mountain guide for 28 years, says every year his almost 45-year-old company finds new terrain to ski in the 1,500 square kilometres of mountains, the highest heli ski area in Canada.

Skiers must be age 14 and over to helicopter ski with RK, and Gibbons says if you are a strong, intermediate skier, “you owe it to yourself to try it.”

There is a range of guided packages, all including safety/avalanche rescue talks, and a pick of runs depending on that day’s conditions. Peak season is February/March but trips run till mid-April.

And as you look out across the mountains framed by blue skies, preparing to dig into waist high snow, you can think about one of Gibbons’ favourite heli runs, the aptly named “Too Bad About The Skiing.”

Fast Facts:

Panorama Mountain Village: Located just 25 minutes from Invermere B.C., which sits on Lake Windermere. The Columbia Valley communities of Fairmont, Invermere and Radium Hot Springs have long been second home communities of Calgarians and other Albertans. Invermere is about a three-hour drive from Calgary, on the Highway 93 turnoff from the Trans Canada Highway.

Founded in 1962, it was sold by previous owner Intrawest in 2010 to an investment group that includes local homeowners from Alberta, Ontario and the United Kingdom.

The mountain: 1,152 hectares of skiable terrain and 1,220 metres of vertical. There are more than 120 trails, two bowls including the vast Taynton Bowl, and two terrain parks.

Night skiing: Open until 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

Terrain: Currently 20 per cent beginner, 55 per cent intermediate/advanced and 25 per cent expert.

Longest run: Taynton Bowl’s Never Never Land which is 5.5 km

Lifts: one village gondola; two high speed quads; one quad; one triple; one double; three surface lifts.

Other activities: New tube park, Nordic skiing that takes you around the Greywolf golf course and Toby Creek, snowshoeing.

Average snowfall: 479 cms

The village: In addition to lots of ski-to lodging options, there is the new residential neighbourhood of Trappers Ridge if you are looking for a second home. There are coffee shops/bars/restaurants, including award-winning gourmet food at Greys Restaurant at the Earl Grey Lodge (www.earlgreylodge.com), and heli-skiing in the Purcell Mountains from rk heliski (www.rkheliski.com),

Deals: You don’t have to pull out your wallet to enjoy the separate activities. Through the new PanoPass, included with your lift ticket is unlimited skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, tubing and tobogganing.

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